SPORTS
äåæçèé åêçèé ëêìíîïæð ñêòçèæïîêç æçè
íåêòèðó îçôîïé óêò ïê
Badgers, Outlaws reach semifinals
❊☛☞✌❊✍✎ ❖✍❊✏❖✎
☛✌
❯✎✑✒❊✍☞✑✌❨
☞✑❙ ❖✖✕✓❖✕✗
▼✄☎❈✆ ✷✝✞ ✷✟✠✡
✏✑✓✔❊✍✌ ✕❊✎✌❊✍
õö ÷øùúûüýþ õÿú ❚ þõý ● ö õö
FRIDAY-SUNDAY ❻ ❼❽❾❿➀ ➁➂➃➄ ➅➆➁➇ ❻ $1.50
✑✎ ✌✘❊ ❊✒❊✎✑✎✏
ùû öù ●✁● ü ✂ ü
●
➈➉➉➊ ➊➋➌ ➍➉ ➉➎➏ ➐➋➑➎➒➊ ➓➎➔➓→➏➣➔➒➏ ↔➑➉➌➊ ↕➏➙➓➍➏➉➛➜ ➉➝ ➞➑➜➣➛
Securing
employment,
discovering
confidence
EOU officials wary
of proposed bill
❴ ➡➢➤ ❛q④❤♦rq❛❜❞
Monica Nickel, 22, is a
freshman at Eastern Oregon
University studying creative
❇ ❳ ✝ ❩❦ ❬ ✂✞♦✄
❚❤✡ ☛☞✌✡✍✈✡✍
A bill in the state Legislature that
would allow Oregon community colleges
to create four-year degree programs has
❭ ✔✧✢✦✩✏ ❪ ✩✦✓✖✏ ❫ ✏✒ ❲ ✦✩✧✒✢✣ ✖ ✜ ★✒✔✗✧ ★✖✏ ✧
cerned but not alarmed.
“We have known for a long time that
this was coming, and we are watching it
carefully,” said Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice
president for university advancement.
Senate Bill 3 would permit the state’s
community colleges in certain circum-
stances to develop applied baccalaureate
degree programs. The Senate passed the
bill Feb. 19 and it is now in the House.
❭ ✔✧✢✦✩✏ ✖ ✜ ★✒✔✗✧ ✔✩✦ ★✖✏★✦✩✏✦✑ ✢✕✔✢
the passage of Senate Bill 3 could result
in community colleges creating degree
programs similar to those of their institu-
tion. This would put EOU in competition
with community colleges for students.
Former EOU President Dixie Lund,
now a member of the university’s board
of trustees, believes the chances of this
occurring are minimized by the strong re-
lationship EOU has had with community
colleges throughout the state for decades.
“We have an excellent partnership with
many community colleges,” Lund said.
See CHD / Page 5A
See EOU / Page 5A
❴ ❵❛❜❝❞❛ ❢❣❤❤ ✐ ❥♦❧❤♥ ❝❤❤♦❥
♣♦qq❧❜❣❞r ♣♦❤❤❛✉❛✈ ❞♦ ♦✇✇❛①
②③r❛❝① ♥❛✉①❛❛ ④①♦✉①❝q✈
④①♦✉①❝q q❝❞♣➥❛✈ ♣❤❣❛❜❞✈
❥❣❞➥ ❣♥❛❝❤ ❛q④❤♦r❛①✈
❇ ❆✁✂✄☎✂ ✆❡✝✞✟✠♦☎
❚❤✡ ☛☞✌✡✍✈✡✍
Searching for a job can be
intimidating for anyone, but
for those with anxiety, de-
pression or other behavioral
health issues, it can be even
more of an insurmountable
task. Luckily, the Center for
Human Development has a
program dedicated to sup-
porting its clients in both
✎✏✑✒✏✓ ✔✏✑ ✕✖✗✑✒✏✓ ✔ ✘✖✙✚
The Supported Employ-
ment Program at CHD helps
clients look for an occupation
that would best suit them and
their behavioral health needs,
assists in the application and
interview process, and follows
up with them during their
employment to make sure
everything is going smoothly.
Anyone seeking job applica-
tion assistance can apply for
the program by visiting CHD
and completing a pre-screen-
➦➧➨➩➫➨ ➭❡➯✬➲✫✩➫➳➵➸➺ ➻➼➽➺➾➚➺➾
➪✳■❃✿✱✾ ✺✳✲❂❀✾ ❂✿✱➶❁ ✰➹➘ ✽✺✿❁❂❅✶✴ ➴✶❀✳✿ ➷✹ ➬✿➮❂✶✺s❀ ■✹❅➶✱✿❀✿ ✶ ✽✹✹s ✹✺s✿✺ ➱✿s✴✿❁s✶✸ ✴✳✲❂❀❏
ing questionnaire.
Julie Fletcher, an employ-
ment and education specialist
at CHD, said the program cur-
rently supports 40 clients and
has a waitlist of at least 30
more, but she still encourages
people to apply because spots
are constantly opening.
“At the Supported Employ-
ment Program, job appoint-
ments are customized to the
client’s needs,” she said. “It’s
very client driven, but we also
get to know employers to pair
them better with employees.”
Kory Escobar, who works
alongside Fletcher as another
employment and education
specialist at CHD, highlight-
ed the individual placement
mindset as the program’s de-
✎✏✒✏✓ ✛✜✔✗✒✢✣✚
“This isn’t a normal job
placement program,” he said.
✤✥✦ ✎✏✑ ✘✖✙✧ ✢✕✔✢ ★✗✒✦✏✢✧ ✔✩✦
interested in doing. Sometimes
employers will even carve out
special positions based on a
particular client’s skills.”
⑤⑥⑦⑧⑥⑦⑨ ⑩⑦⑧ ⑨❶❷❷⑥⑦⑨ ⑩ ❸❹❺
❻❶❼❶ ⑩❽❾❶❿❷❽ ➀ ➁⑩❿➂❶⑧
❺❶➃❹❼❶ ❿❹➄⑥⑦⑨ ❷❹ ❷➅❶
❾❼❹⑨❼⑩➄➇➇➇ ➈➅❶ ➉➊➋
⑨⑥➌❶❽ ➄❶ ❷➅❶ ❽➍❾❾❹❼❷ ➀
⑦❶❶⑧ ❷❹ ❽➍❿❿❶❶⑧➇ ➎
➏ ➐➑P➒➓❑ ➔➒➓→➣↔↕ ➙➛➜
➝➞➟➠➣P➞
Senate passes state
Medicaid funding bill
Looking up and giving back
❴ Ï❤✉❣❜Ð✈ ❜❛❥ ✈❞❧♥❛❜❞ ♣♦❧❜♣❣❤♦① ➥♦④❛✈ ❞♦ ❰❛ ❝ ①♦❤❛
q♦♥❛❤ ✇♦① ♦❞➥❛① ✈❞❧♥❛❜❞✈ ❰r ✈❛①❐❣❜✉ ➥❣✈ ♣♦qq❧❜❣❞r
❴ ✃♦❐❒ ❢①♦❥❜ ❛❮④❛♣❞❛♥ ❞♦ ✈❣✉❜ ❰❣❤❤ ❣❜❞♦ ❤❝❥
❇ ❆✁✂✄☎✂ ✆❡✝✞✟✠♦☎
❚❤✡ ☛☞✌✡✍✈✡✍
The Oregon Legislature
passed a $465 million funding
bill for the Oregon Health Plan,
Oregon’s Medic-
aid program, over
the next six years.
House Bill 2010
passed with bi-
partisan votes in
Ø◆➑ÙP
the Senate Thurs-
day after the
House approved it last week.
Next, HB 2010 moves to Gov.
Kate Brown, who is expected to
sign it into law.
◗ ✕✦ ✙✒✗✗ ✎✏✑✧ ❘ ✜✏✑✒✏✓ ❘ ✩✖ ✚
several health care taxes, in-
cluding the hospital provider
tax and a health insurance
premium tax. The Oregon
Association of Hospitals and
Health Systems celebrated the
bill’s passage in the Senate.
“The funding package
passed represents a carefully
negotiated set of agreements
brought forward by the Gov-
✦✩✏✖✩ ✔✏✑ ❘ ✜✩✢✕✦✩ ✩✦✎✏✦✑ ❱ ✒✢✕
a core set of stakeholders over
many months prior to session,”
said Andy Van Pelt, executive
vice president of OAHHS, in a
press release. “Other compo-
nents of the package will come
before the Legislature in com-
ing months and hospitals will
continue to advocate for their
passage to fully and sustain-
ably fund the Medicaid pro-
gram in Oregon.”
While Grande Ronde Hos-
✛ ✒✢✔✗ ✓✔ ❲ ✦ ✏✖ ✖ ✜ ★✒✔✗ ★✖ ✚✚ ✦✏✢
on the passing of HB 2010,
Mardi Ford, director of com-
munications and marketing at
GRH, said the hospital’s phi-
losophy aligns with the follow-
ing statement made by Van
Pelt in the same press release.
“Oregon’s hospitals applaud
the passage of HB 2010,” he
said. “Hospitals have been sup-
porters of the Medicaid budget
for 15 years. In this biennium,
via the hospital provider tax,
hospitals are on track to con-
tribute nearly 28 percent of
the state funds required to fully
fund the Oregon Health Plan.
Given that nearly one in four
Oregonians relies on Medicaid
for health care coverage, hos-
pitals feel it is deeply impor-
tant that our state continues its
commitment to these vulnera-
ble families and individuals.”
❷s❸❹❺
✯✰✱✲✲✳✴✳✵✶✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✹✸
✯✺✻✳✼✲✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✽✸
✯✾✺✲✲✿✺✾✶✷✷✷✷✷❀✸
❁✵✱✾ ❂❃❃❄ ✷✷✷✷✷❅✸
★✩✪✫t❡✬✭ ✮✯✩t✩
✰✱✲✳✴ ✵✶✸✹✺ ❆✱✱✶✴ ✻✼✽✽✸✾ ✱✿✽❀✾ ❁❂✶❃✿❁
✻✶❉❁✹✴ ❄✶✺❅✶✴➆❁ ❂✶✴s ✶✽❀✿✺ ❂✿
❁❉✹✺✿ ✳✴ ❀❂✿ ❇❋❍✸✿✶✺❍✹✱s ✶❁ ❀❂✿ ■✳❀✸➆❁
✴✿❉ ❁❀✼s✿✴❀ ■✹✼✴■✳✱✹✺❏
erything he does, and
that makes me want
to be a better person.”
The Elgin City
Council swore in
▲❑◆♠❑P
Larman, 16, as stu-
dent councilor at
its regular meeting Feb. 12 after
accepting his application with a
unanimous vote. Larman, son
of Elgin’s public works director,
✤ ✔✏ ✥ ✔✩ ✚ ✔✏ ✦ ✧✔✒✑ ✕✦ ✎✏✑✧ ✒✏✧ ✛ ✒ ✧
ration for his own community in-
See Elgin / Page 5A
New sidewalk to make
walking to Central safer
❇ ❳ ✝ ❩❦ ❬ ✂✞♦✄
❚❤✡ ☛☞✌✡✍✈✡✍
Walking to and from
Central
Elementary
School is about to get
safer for children and
their parents.
An 850-foot sidewalk
along H Avenue between
La Grande’s Central El-
ementary, at the corner
of H and Second Street,
and Sunset Drive, just
below Grande Ronde
Hospital, is set to be in-
stalled later this year.
“It will be great for the
whole community,” said
George Mendoza, su-
perintendent of the La
Grade School District,
who discussed the side-
walk at a meeting of the
▲✺❋❋✵✾❄✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷❍❂ ❖❏❋✶✺✺✾✲✷✷✷✷✷✷✷◗✸
❘✵✼✺✾✶ ✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷❍❂ ❱▼✳✾✳❋❏✱✰✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷❲❂
❖❃✳❋❏✱✾✳✵✲✷✷✷✷✷✷✽❂ ❱▼✺✾❋✲ ✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷❳❂
❖▼✳P✳✺P✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✷✹❂
MONDAY
❇ ❆✁✂✄☎✂ ✆❡✝✞✟✠♦☎
❚❤✡ ☛☞✌✡✍✈✡✍
✙ ✖✗✦ ✚ ✖✑✦✗✧ ★✔✏ ✙✦ ✔✧ ✎★✢✒✖✏✔✗
as a super strong, colorful-span-
dex-wearing superhero, or as
visceral as a celebrity, athlete or
✛ ✖✗✒★✦ ✖ ✜ ★✦✩✚ ✢ ✢ ✔✗✗ ✑✦ ✛ ✦✏✑✧ ✖✏
the person looking up.
Elgin’s new student councilor,
Dawson Larman, is lucky enough
to have his hero right at home.
✤ ✣ ✣ ✑✔✑ ✒✧ ✑✦✎✏✒✢✦✗✣ ✚ ✣ ✩✖✗✦
model,” he said. “I’ve always seen
him trying to do his best with ev-
La Grande School Board
on Wednesday.
Mendoza said the need
for the sidewalk is obvi-
ous when one sees the
number of cars parked
along H Avenue after
school. The vehicles of
parents picking up their
children parked on H
Avenue often stretch
west from Central all
the way to Sunset Drive.
Currently, children and
their parents have to
walk over ground that is
often wet and spongy to
get to and from Central.
The superintendent also
noted the convenience
✖ ❘ ✔ ✎ ❲ ✦ ✧❘ ✖✖✢ ✧❱ ✒✑✦ ✧✒✑✦ ✧
walk will mean fewer
people will be walking
Ñ➯ÒÓ Ô➨✬✩➩➳➵➸➺ ➻➼➽➺➾➚➺➾
Õ❂✿ ✴✿❉ ❁✳s✿❉✶✱❃ ❉✳✱✱ ➮✿ ✹✴ ❀❂✿ ✴✹✺❀❂ ❁✳s✿ ✹✽
Ö ❆×✿✴✼✿ ✴✿✶✺ ✰➹➘❏
on H Avenue to avoid
wet ground.
The sidewalk will be
installed by the City of
La Grande, which re-
ceived federal funds for
the project via a Safe
Routes to School grant.
School districts cannot
apply for Safe Routes to
School grants but mu-
➟➠➡➢➤➠➥ ➦➧➨➨ ➩➫➭➯➲➳➵➸ ➫➺ ➸➻➯ ➼➳➲➽ ➫➩ ➾ ➵➯➲➸➚➫➺
➪➶➹➘➴➷➬
➮➱ ✃❐❒
ÕÖ×ØÙÚ ÛÙÖÜÝÚ
❊✪✫■◆● ✬✭●✪◆■❈ ✮✪❨ ✭❊❉❯❈❊ ❈✪◆❈❊✭ ✭■❙❑
ÐÑ➘ÒÓÔ
➱❮❰➮Ï
Þ ÙßØØÙà áâßã
nicipalities, such as cit-
ies and counties, can,
said City of La Grande
Public Works Director
Kyle Carpenter. The City
of La Grande received a
Safe Routes to School
grant of $140,000 for
the sidewalk project.
The city, Carpenter
See Sidewalk / Page 5A
qrst✉qt ✇①
②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑤⑧④⑦④
⑨✲✲❏✵ ❍❲
❍ ✲✵✼❋✳✺P✲⑩ ◗❲ ▼✱♣✵✲
▲✱ ❶✾✱P✶✵⑩ ❖✾✵♣✺P
❩✻✱✳✰ ✲❋✺✾❄ ✳✶✵✱✲
❋✺ ♥❬❭❪❫❴❵❛❜❵♥❝❬
❞❢❪❬❜❣❬❜✐❥❞❦✷
❧✺✾✵ ✼✺P❋✱✼❋ ✳P✴✺
✺P ♠✱♣✵ ✹❂✷
Online at lagrandeobserver.com